Deep Breath (24 page)

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Callie laid back against the headboard staring at the computer propped against her knees, the moon and the glow from the monitor were the only lights in the room. After her little groping session with Keefe on the front porch that ended in total humiliation, how could she sleep?

She checked her e-mail again looking for a message from M. Perry but still no reply. She clicked back to solitaire to start another game.

She was furious with Keefe, the bastard. Getting her to respond to him just to puff up his male ego was something she never dreamed he’d do. She knew the soap set, at least she thought she did. There were the actors who were self-absorbed and though they were the second Tom Cruise on their way to the top, the playmates who were in it for the glam, the press hounds who loved seeing their names and pictures everywhere. But Keefe never fit into any of those categories. He seemed…real. Till tonight. Guess that put him in the Tom Cruise category. She lost at solitaire again, checked her in box again and there it was…a reply from M. Perry.

She sat up and took a deep breath, then opened the e-mail. M. Perry said the meet was a go. “Holy cow,” she whispered into the darkness. “We really did it.”

This was a big step closer to finding Mimi. If Perry didn’t know something about Mimi the people he worked for had to have a hunch where she was, why else would they be advertising for her in Memphis? She should tell Keefe. No matter what their differences he needed to know about the note even if it was the middle of the night, actually almost morning. He should make plans and she needed to know what to write back to Perry.

Callie slid from the bed, pulled on her robe and tiptoed into the hall. She looked both ways to make sure Rory wasn’t around to get suspicious, then she opened the door to Keefe’s room and went in.

Moonlight fell across Keefe’s bare back. Did it have to be bare? She tried to resurrect her thoughts of him as a bastard, but it didn’t help to see his…skin. Lots of it. Didn’t the man ever hear of a T-shirt? The sheet just covered his butt. Eyes closed, breathing slow and steady. There was not one thing slow and steady about her right now. She should have never come. What was she thinking? She turned and started for the door and he said “Enjoying the view?”

See, bastard! She spun around. “You are the most arrogant, conceited, self-important, smug, high and mighty, stuck up, vain, arrogant—”

“You already said arrogant.”

“Well, I’m saying it again because it’s doubly true.” He rolled over onto his back taking the sheet with him. Thank the lord for that! She didn’t need any more maleness to distract her—this was enough. “I came to tell you we heard from M. Perry. The meeting’s on. I thought you might like to know and what do you want me to reply?”

“So what the hell are you doing up at this hour?”

“What do you think, waiting for the darn e-mail, like I said. This is important. I need to reply.”

“Tell him to look for three guys in Atlanta Braves baseball hats. Now, what else do you need?” He winked.

“I need to beat you about the neck and shoulder.” She yanked the door open and resisted the urge to slam it as she left and crept back to her room. Her stomach churned and she ground her teeth. She was angry enough to spit nails. How could she be attracted to such a jerk? She wasn’t, it was over. Two years of ogling and daydreaming about the man officially ended tonight. Common sense had prevailed over primal lust. In fact, common sense should always prevail especially in important matters.

And by late the next afternoon as she and Bonnie entered Slims, Callie was more convinced of that than ever. Sally waved her over to a table where she and Georgette sat and Callie pushed the stroller in that direction. Dinner customers occupied about half the tables including Eleanor Stick sitting in the back. Well, what brought that on?

Callie lifted Bonnie onto her lap and Sally leaned across the table. “Did you see who’s graced our presence for dinner tonight? Eleanor’s working at the hardware store. Can’t seem to find babysitting jobs anywhere, now that Keefe made a point of telling everyone on the Landing she’s way less than a great babysitter.”

Bonnie started to fuss and Callie rocked her but it didn’t help. She stood and paced and ran smack into Eleanor Stick. The old bat smirked. “Taking care of young’ns isn’t as easy as you think, is it, city-girl?” she harrumphed, then strolled off toward the door, nose in the air, shoulders back.

Bonnie yelled louder and Callie said, “Now look what she did. The woman brings out the worst in this baby.”

Georgette sighed. “Oh, good grief.” She stood and lifted Bonnie into her arms. “Crying babies make me nuts. Let me have a go at this. I worked my way through college at a daycare.” She put Bonnie to her shoulder, her cries gradually decreasing by several decibels.

Georgette slowly grinned, a real grin as if she truly enjoyed the moment. “She likes my earrings. One of my cousins was the same way, into the bling even at this age.”

Bonnie coed as she played with the silver-and-gold dangles at Georgette’s ears and Sally said, “Georgette, you’re a baby genius.”

Georgette sat down. “Just doing what needs to be done.”

Callie felt her heart soften toward Georgette. This was a genuine side of her Callie hadn’t seen before and she liked it. “Bonnie wins everyone over and maybe after tonight we’ll be a step closer to getting her mama back.”

Sally huffed, “Well, I doubt it. Three men in baseball caps? What the heck kind of disguise is that? That’s what happens to men, they never play dress-up when they’re growing up. The don’t get the fantasy concept. Perry’s going to recognize Keefe, someone’s bound to know Digger and Demar reeks cop. The man might as well have I am the law written across his forehead. The meet’s never going to come off.”

Callie said, “But what if Keefe and his merry men don’t do the meeting. What if someone else does…like us.” Her gaze fused with Sally’s and she sat up straight.

Georgette sat down. “The guys already said it’s them and only them and we weren’t invited to the party.”

Callie bit at her bottom lip. “Well, that was before I sinned.”

Georgette whispered, “Sinned as in little-white-lie or as in hold-on-to-your-butt?”

“The butt one. I told M. Perry to look for three women in red boas at nine o’clock at Kerby’s. I had to keep the time the same because I mentioned it in the first note and I didn’t want to do anything to scare him off.”

Sally put her fingers over her mouth to stifle a laugh, then said, “Honey, if three red boas don’t scare him off, nothing will.”